The discussion below is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Aspects of the invention herein described relate to the incubation and inoculation of eggs.
It is known to society that eggs are incubated to increase productivity in the breeding of chickens for meat production. Incubation occurs in equipment with predefined temperature, pressure and other parameters designed to achieve good results.
Factored into the process is egg quality with regard to the size, shape and exterior conditions of the shell. Another important factor in the incubation is the turning of the eggs which must be slow and alternate in relation to the upper part of the tray. There are many models of incubator on the market, some manual and some automatic, capable of programming turns and controlling temperature and humidity by means of thermostats, hygroscopes and electronic sensors. The incubators may also have thermometers and water reservoirs and be made from synthetic materials, such as fiberglass, plastic or acrylic allowing better hygiene.
There are many existing problems in relation to egg incubation trays which affect, in particular, the output from the incubation. The known trays, due to their structure, display certain characteristics, such as small differences in the temperature in the tray area or a lack of adequate ventilation, resulting in a significant loss in production.
The applicant, who is aware of such problems and is the holder of patent application PI 0900248-0, has identified the restrictions and sought to solve the problems by developing a new egg-holding tray for incubation.
The previous patent application describes an egg-holding tray for incubation in a rectangular shape with rounded corners, the external perimeter of which, together with longitudinal and transverse internal walls, border individual egg holding units. Each egg holding unit has an aureole on the inside formed by two arcs, a right arc and a left arc, which are parallel to each other with the curvatures faced inwards towards a center of the egg holding unit, and which have a conical slope, an upper edge of the arcs having a greater diameter than a lower edge of the arc, where an outer center of the arc is tangential to a transverse wall of the tray and the ends of the arcs are fixed to the longitudinal walls; two elevations emerge from the upper edge of each arc, supporting the eggs, positioned vertically and sloped in correlation with the slope of the arcs.